


Closer To The Surface

by Misttiique



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Crushes, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Mermaids, Mutual Pining, Seasons of Anime Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25632427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misttiique/pseuds/Misttiique
Summary: The ball’s perfect parabola breaks as it falls into the water below with a splash. The tides aren’t strong here but a ball that light can easily float away.I could throw it back to him or I could let it just float away and he won’t ever know I existed, Suga thinks to himself. He bites his lip nervously. This could be his shot.He dives down into the water and snatches the ball from the current with ease.He launches the ball upward and tosses it back to the human. The astounded human catches the flying ball from the ocean. There’s confusion written all over his face, Suga observes from beneath the surface and it makes him grin with glee.
Relationships: Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29
Collections: Seasons of Anime Exchange 2020





	Closer To The Surface

**Author's Note:**

  * For [platinum_firebird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/platinum_firebird/gifts).



Suga watches from the safety of the rock in front of him. He’s in the shallows now and he leans his body against the warm rocks with his hands gripping it for support. He peers over the shore to see a guy about his age on the shore. 

He doesn’t know when watching of this human has turned into a hobby but as of recently, he’d much preferred the company here than that of down below in the ocean. 

It wasn’t even much of company, really, but more of Suga just watching and admiring the guy exercising and playing with some sort of ball. _Creepy_ , he’d chide his behaviour at times. But, it feels as though he’s grown more and more fond of this guy, despite barely knowing him. 

With short black hair, large brown eyes and a toned and muscular body, Suga can’t help but marvel at the sight of him, especially in his morning runs across the shoreline. 

However, Suga is more than familiar with the rule that no Merfolk is supposed to talk to a human under any circumstance. Yet, he craves the attention of this particular one. 

One day, he’s watching as the guy bounces the ball against one of the tallest rocks in the bay. It continued back and forth and Suga watched from not too far away, mesmerized by the action. The human doesn’t stop and Suga can only wonder at the stamina and will of this human. He knows this exercise is repetitive but why doesn’t he stop? Suga questions. 

Just as he thinks of it, the ball falls into the water below with a splash. The tides aren’t strong here but a ball that light can easily float away. 

_I could throw it back to him or I could let it just float away and he won’t ever know I existed._ But, Suga’s dilemma is an easy one for him to decide. He dives down into the water and snatches the ball from the current with ease. 

After watching the guy’s toss for so long, he swims forward until he’s a few feet away from him and replicates the toss. The astounded human catches the flying ball from the ocean. There’s confusion written all over his face, Suga observes from beneath the surface and it makes him grin with glee. _Never seen that before, huh?_ He thinks proudly to himself. 

Slowly, the human moves down the bay’s dock, away from the shore. There’s a curious glint in his eyes as he peers over into the water. 

“Uh, whatever that was, thank you?” The human says hesitantly. His voice is as smooth as velvet, Suga notes, hoping for possibly a few more words just so he could hear it again. 

The waves seem to answer for him as they crash in response. After a couple of minutes, the guy shrugs and walks back down the pier. That experience should satisfy Suga for today. He turns around back to where he belongs, unaware that the human has turned around again. Though this time, the guy catches sight of a silver tail with fins that stretch as long as his arm for a split second as Suga rises and leaps back into the ocean below. 

————

Suga’s days are mostly the same. Wake up, eat, head to the surface, swim home, eat and sleep. The repetitiveness makes him look forward to the next day because every day, the same guy comes out of his home, sprints to the dock and practices with his ball. He practices and trains for hours on end, never tiring of its repetitive pattern. 

The human doesn’t seem to be curious about Suga’s toss to him the other day. Suga’s rational side reminds him that it was good that his encounter with the mermaid wasn’t remembered but his emotions were a different story. He didn’t want to not be remembered. 

And yet, he continued to watch him daily, silently hoping the human might peer over the edge of the dock. 

Weeks past, Suga’s patience holds steady. He waits for another opportunity to attract the human once more. Finally, it strikes when the ball performs a perfect parabola into the air but the human doesn’t appear ready to catch it. The ball lands into the sea with a small splash. 

From his place behind a rock, he watches the human running to the edge of the dock to stretch out his arms. His attempts are futile as the ball floats further away into the sea. The current today isn’t very strong but for an object this light, it carries it fast. 

When he realizes he can’t get it, Suga watches the human’s shoulders droop and he sighs to himself. He starts to turn around so his back faces the water and walks back to his house. 

Suga bites his lip. This could be his shot. 

He leaps into the water, launching himself in the direction of the ball that’s quite far from the dock now. He grabs it and swims toward the dock once more. 

_I can do this_. He steels himself and takes a deep breath to calm his now excruciatingly excited nerves. 

He throws the ball into the air and with his other hand, he hits the ball with all his might. The contact between the ball and his palm is hard and slightly slippery but the sensation has no words. The ball arches to the sky and descends with precision and accuracy right in front of the human. He jumps back in shock, nearly falling over. Slowly he bends down to pick up the ball to give it a closer examination. It’s clear he’s hesitant about it from the way he holds the ball further from his face. 

Meanwhile, Suga looks down in disbelief at the palm he used to find it completely red and the slight burn of his skin is more apparent. Yet, he finds it _fun,_ maybe even do it again. 

He hides just below the water’s surface as soon as he hears the creaking of the dock’s wooden boards. 

“Hello? Hello….? I know you’re out there again.” The human pauses a few feet away from the dock’s edge. His hands grasping the ball tightly, afraid it might fall in and never return again. From this close, Suga can see his eyes are actually a warm shade of brown and they search the water for his presence. 

“I… I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for tossing my ball back to me. Again. I mean… I don’t usually have an extra ball to practice with unless I go back to town to get one so… I guess I’m quite thankful for that. Anyway… uh… if you ever want to play or to toss it back to me again, you’re more than welcome to. I, uh, don’t bite.” He laughs and it’s a delightful sound to Suga’s ears. 

“I don’t even know why I’m still talking at this point but the offer still stands, I guess?” 

Suga doesn’t respond but he continues to watch the human carefully. He could say something and be able to toss the ball again. He knows he’ll have so many questions for him to answer and who knows what he might do with the knowledge that mermaids exist. However, being able to have someone to spend his time with and play ball with makes it seem worthy of exploring that option. 

The human accepts that no one is going to answer him. Nodding at the thought, he turns around to walk back to the shore. 

“I would like to practice with you sometime.” Suga can’t even believe the words escape his mouth. He ducks his head down again just as the human turns. 

“Oh, you answered. Oh my god, you actually answered,” exclaims the human. The shock and excitement spread across his face in a wide grin. Suga can’t help but fall in love with the sight of him smiling like that. 

“Well, anytime that you feel like playing, just let me know when you’re around? If I could see or hear that you’re… present or something, that would be great too.”

The human doesn’t push Suga to reveal himself but somehow, Suga finds himself doing just that. 

The top of his head until his eyes poke out of the water first. Hazel eyes meet warm brown ones, both moving closer and closer until they’re close to the edge of the dock. 

_It’s so strange seeing a human up close. They’re like me but not like me. He’s much bigger than I’d thought he’d be._

Suga’s transfixed on the human — their differences and their similarities. He lifts his head out of the water fully, letting the water reach his shoulders. Gently swishing to keep him afloat, his long iridescent tail is easily noticeable in the clear water surrounding him. 

“You’re a mermaid,” the human gasps. He seems momentarily shocked from his eyes going wide and the breath that’s caught in his chest. But, he doesn't flinch or moves away — a good sign Suga hopes. 

Suga smiles sheepishly, “Yes, I’m a mermaid. Now, you know they’re real.” He’s expected these questions and he knows what’s coming next. 

“I… I… never believed—“

“Believe that we exist? Well, we do. I’m Suga, by the way.”

“Sawamura Daichi, but you can just call me Daichi,” the human introduces himself, extending out his hand. 

Suga takes it, realizing how firm and warm Daichi’s hand is. He lets Daichi stare at him, and probably his tail, for a few minutes. He understands how this must all be new to him and he probably needs to steady himself a bit before he passes out after meeting a mermaid. 

Finally, Suga breaks the silence. “So, when are we going to play?”

Daichi breaks from his silent stare and the soft blush blooming on his cheeks. “I’m sorry for staring. It’s just a little new for me. I’d never had thought I’d be meeting a mermaid. And, wow, I just have so many questions for you and the Mer people?”

“Merfolk.”

“Right, yes. I used to think they were just myths.” Daichi shakes his head, a confused look still lingers on his face. His brows furrow as it seems like he’s concentrating on making himself rethink his whole concept of myths. _It makes him look almost cute._

Suga chuckles. “Well, you better treasure this opportunity because if you tell a soul, you’ll never see us ever again or ever know more about us.” His tone drops toward the end but he can tell his words sink in because Daichi nods solemnly, murmuring “understood”. His words were true anyway. 

“How about we start playing?” Suga asks, trying to lift the mood back up once more. 

“Yes, right. So where do we begin… uh, well how about we do what we did just now. I’ll throw the ball to you and you’ll toss it back to me?” Daichi proposes. 

Suga nods in agreement. They go back-and-forth with the ball, like the sun moving across the horizon that day. When the orange ball sets in the distance, they call it a day as they plan to meet again the next day. 

—————

It becomes a daily thing between the human and the mermaid. 

Suga realizes that Daichi’s receives and spikes of the ball are _very_ accurate. He tells him so, allowing Daichi to explain how he started playing what he calls volleyball to Suga since he was much younger. 

Daichi’s gaze drifts out to the water while Suga’s stare is always focused on Daichi. Just listening to him talk about his two younger siblings or his friends from high school or even his seemingly mundane life leaves Suga with butterflies in his stomach. Suga couldn't have been more enamoured by Daichi. Everything about him just made him feel warm inside… almost like he was in love. 

Even as they talked about their lives, he never made any attempt to pry about Suga and the Merfolk’s existence. That only made Suga feel more at ease with him and it was something he appreciated. 

It’s the middle of summer and the sun hung above them like a huge spotlight. Today, Daichi’s chest is bare, which could’ve made Suga drool, and he might’ve also been considering taking a dip in the sea. And to his surprise, Daichi does just that. He leaps into the water with grace, almost as if he’s been swimming as long as Suga has, even though it’s the first time he’s actually seen Daichi swim. 

The two have fun playing in the water, splashing around as if they were children as they laughed their heads off. Finally, the sun begins to take its leave and soon, so will Daichi as usual. They watch the sun sink into the water as they always do. The silence fills the air, but not in an uncomfortable way, rather it settles down as they both take in the breathtaking sight. Just as the last rays begin to disappear, Daichi turns to face Suga, whose eyes still tail the sun’s descent. 

“Suga… I…,” Daichi speaks slowly before taking a deep breath to steady himself. He begins again, “Suga, I don’t know the proper way to say this or how it usually happens with the Merfolk but I want you to know… that I like you. I like you a lot.” 

Suga’s gasp is audible and powerful enough that the water in front of him ripples from his breath. Was he dreaming? Was he imagining this whole thing? Did Daichi just say he liked him?

_Wait, that means that the feeling is mutual,_ his brain prompts to him. It’s mutual. Daichi feels the same way he does. But he hasn’t even confessed yet. 

“Oh, Daichi! I… I…” he notices a glimpse of worry cross Daichi’s face. It’s a brief moment that he enjoys the knowledge that he now knows Daichi likes him. He too takes a deep breath and steadies himself to say what he’s been hiding for so long and now can at last set free. 

“I like you too. I think I’ve fallen for you since I saw you on the first day you came to the beach.” His confession is soft but the impact of it hits Daichi because the biggest and brightest smile starts to appear on his face. 

“I know it may be weird for us but I’m willing to try, just as long as I get to be with you.” Daichi’s fingers find Suga’s own, gently clasping them in his warm touch. 

Suga curls his own fingers around Daichi’s, their hands a symbol of their newfound bond. “And, I couldn’t be happier with it,” he murmurs with the warmth of his new love blooming in his chest. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me at Misttiique on [Tumblr](https://misttiique.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/misttiique). 
> 
> Thanks for reading!! :D


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